Walking in Tsaghkadzor
Tsaghkadzor is a small resort town, and its walking is informal: a stroll along two streets, a hillside path to the monastery, a park and, in summer, ridge walks from the top of the chairlift. This page sets out routes you can do on your own, ordered from shortest to longest. Armenia advice changes, so read gov.uk and travel.state.gov before you go, and keep walks to daylight hours.
An easy hour or two: the town centre
Start on Tsaghkunyats (Flower) Street, where a bronze statue of the clown Leonid Yengibarov stands in the centre. Then turn to Orbeli Brothers Street, which holds most of what a visitor needs:
- No. 8: the restaurants Yasaman and Karas
- No. 12: the Orbeli Brothers House-Museum, open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00, with adult tickets at 1,400 AMD
- No. 18: Pur, another restaurant
- No. 20: Grace Kecharis SPA Hotel
Walk uphill from the end of the street toward Kecharis. An easy hour or two covers the whole walk, including a stop at the museum.
The Kecharis hillside and Surp Harutyun
Kecharis Monastery lies on a wooded hillside in the northern part of town and is free to enter. Four churches, a gavit and chapels date from the 11th to the 13th centuries. A short walk west, in a forest glade, the small Surp Harutyun church of 1220 stands alone. Walk between the two on the hillside paths. It is a place of worship, so cover shoulders and knees and speak quietly.
The city park
The park on the hill above Kecharis has paths and cafes, and its Action Park lists a zipline, trampolines, bicycle paths and a VR simulator. It suits a gentle loop after the monastery.
A summer ridge walk from the chairlift
The ropeway operator suggests a half-day loop on the ridge above the top station, which stands at 2,819 m. No trail names, lengths or markings are given, so ask at the ticket office about the route and current conditions before you set out. The summit of Mount Teghenis is about 2,851 m, a little above the top station. In clear weather you can see Mount Ararat to the south-southwest. The ride up takes about 32 minutes, the lifts run daily from 10:00 to 17:30, and a ride costs about 3,000 AMD, per recent listings on ropeway.am .
Mountain weather changes quickly. Carry a warm windproof layer in every season, remember that thunderstorms are possible in the mountains, and allow time to ride back down before the lifts stop at 17:30.
A hike nearby: Lake Tsaghkunyats
Lake Tsaghkunyats, also called Lake Nna, is a small alpine lake at about 2,420 to 2,450 m in the Tsaghkunyats Mountains. The loop hike to it starts at Aghveran on the far side of the range, not in Tsaghkadzor. It is a walking destination only, with no boating and no swimming. Tour operators also sell a Kecharis and Lastiver hiking tour, with a campground fee of about 1,000 AMD.
Read more: sightseeing in Tsaghkadzor and the 3 day Armenia itinerary . To compare guided hikes, search GetYourGuide .